Extra judicial killings are legally classified as murder no matter where they occur, unless a country is at war with the country in which the victims were killed and the victims were active combatants engaged in battle at the moment of death.

For example, how do drone operators know whether the guy they blew up had not just deserted from the jihad?

How could a drone operator know who is a combatant when they are not engaged in battle at that moment?

Pakistan’s government may be willing to look away from the serial killings by drones in their country but that does not excuse the homicides. Drone murders are illegal in every country according to their own laws. It is the responsibility of those national leaders to assert their authority to prosecute murders committed within their countries, and when they fail to apply their own laws, they should be replaced.